Stuck in Detention
by LordLenne
Summary: Ninten gets Claus to admit what's been on his mind during their alone time in detention. Shortfic, a prequel of sorts. Hinted ClausTen/ClausXNinten. Hinted Nesscas/NessXLucas.


_Tap-tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap._

 _The irregular pattern of an irritated boy's fingers removed the silence of the room, only to be drowned out later by his younger friend's heavy sigh._

"Shut up," Claus responded.

Ninten turned his head over, not wanting to leave the comfort of his arms. "But I'm so bored."

"Well it's your fault we're both stuck here in detention," Claus said, slightly angrier. "And I can't even believe I'm stuck here with you for an hour. I didn't even do anything."

"You just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time." Ninten grinned.

"Yeah, thanks," Claus replied sarcastically. "Why the hell did you even decide to prank our teacher?!

"'Cause I thought it was funny," Ninten said. "Early senior prank too, I guess?"

"Even though it meant getting us almost suspended?!"

"Hey, you're just lucky I'm a good negotiator."

"All you did was put half the blame on me!"

"Duh."

At this point, Claus inhaled a very frustrated breath, trying to suppress his building anger. He even gestured strangling the boy next to him with his hands, scratching the air. Ninten stared at the boy, laughing on the inside, while also thinking that the ginger may need some anger management.

Claus eventually gave up and planted his face into his hands, trying to rest his self. "Whatever. I'm done talking to you."

"Aw, come on, you get to hang out with me at least."

Claus eventually gave up his vow of silence. "…There's always no good coming from hanging out with you."

"Not _always_. This time it's a good thing."

"And just how is it a good thing?"

Ninten lifted his head onto his hand, using his elbow on the desk as support. "You get to tell me what's been on your mind."

Claus almost hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, I'm not stupid."

"...I still don't get you."

"You don't think I've noticed how you've been looking at Ness and Lucas a lot?"

"That's—"

"—Heck, you even mumble about them sometimes. And it's only happened after they started dating. You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Jealous? Hell no!" Claus turned his head away.

Ninten shifted closer towards the other boy. "If you're not jealous, then what is it?"

"…" Claus didn't bother to look back.

Ninten sighed and then laid his head on his hand, facing the front of the room instead. "Fine, don't tell me."

For a moment, Claus reanalyzed the situation he was in. He was stuck in the school's detention room for one hour, perhaps thirty two minutes as of now, all alone with a well-known prankster. The supervising teacher decided to leave them for what he said a "moment" but was actually near half the detention time now, and they were all alone. No hidden security camera was there to record their actions. No smartphone, no handheld game console, no educational poster to stare at, or oddly colored furniture to play I Spy with for entertainment. There was nothing but empty desks around them and their selves.

The situation felt a little too perfect. Claus knew Ninten was always an open-minded, and very talkative boy. To think he brought up the topic that had been bothering him since it had started…it felt like it was all planned.

Claus turned back around, quietly clearing his throat, catching the attention of the other boy. "Did you…plan all this out?"

"Plan what out?" Ninten asked.

"Getting us alone in detention. Just so I could talk about _that_?"

Ninten shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe. Did you want to talk about it?"

"I…" Claus sealed his lips for a moment, looking down at his desk. Then, he willfully closed his eyes, feeling the pressure he put on them to energize his mind. "I'm…not sure if I'm jealous of them."

"So then talk about it," Ninten said. "What do you feel like when you see them together happy and all?"

"I feel like…" Claus looked at his hands, "…like I hate Ness, but I'm happy for Lucas, which makes me think I should be happy for Ness too. But then I feel a little bit sad thinking that, because my brother is already in a relationship." Then, he realized what he had just said. "So I guess…maybe I am jealous of Lucas."

"About him going out with someone first before you?" Ninten asked.

Claus nodded, "Yeah."

Ninten then scooted back closer in his seat. "Well, it's not a competition you know. You should just be happy Lucas found someone he loves. Because if he's happy, then you're happy, right?"

"Right, but…I'm just still a little ticked that Lucas started a relationship so easily, and didn't even tell me until like two weeks later after they started dating."

"Well we all knew Ness since, like fourth grade. So it's been like eight years, which is a pretty okay amount of time in my opinion. But yeah I see what you're talking about. You've been with Lucas since birth, so I can see why you feel like that."

"Yeah?"

"…So do you want to go out with someone to make yourself feel better or something?"

"I guess. That way I can stop worrying about them, right?"

"Maybe. So is there maybe someone you like on your mind right now?"

Claus paused to think about any previous love interest. "…Not really—well, I used to like Paula. But then she started dating Poo, so I lost interest. Ana's pretty too, but she's a little preppy for me. …No one else comes to mind."

"Aw, not even me?" Ninten smirked at the other boy as he said that. The smug expression caused Claus to quickly turn his head at the younger boy, putting on a face of half surprise, and half…what Ninten thought was disgust, but was actually questionable feelings for him.

"No," Claus immediately said after his reaction. "I mean, I'm not gay, sorry."

"You sure you're not?" Ninten questioned. "You're not just scared of admitting it, are you?"

Claus gave into the silence again. The lack of response made Ninten even more suspicious, but Claus was truly unsure of how to answer. He found fewer girls attractive throughout his middle school and early high school life. Instead, he had more thoughts from the curiosity of the sizes of other boys' lower areas, with the interest deriving from random thoughts during changing in the locker room for gym class. It was all for comparison's sake with his own, so he reasoned. It might have even been a normal thought that others should have also thought about, but he never knew, because no one ever told him directly that it was what they thought.

Then Claus realized he was silently rambling to his self, moving his lips as subtle as he could under the shield of his two hands. Ninten hadn't noticed, but it was still a while since the raven haired boy's question. For a moment, Ninten assumed he might have crossed a line, and Claus believed that Ninten was thinking of such as well. Therefore, he wanted to answer, to clear the situation up. But how could he have answered? He would figure it out. He just needed to get something out already.

"I'm—"

Just at that moment, the doorknob crunched, and the door slid open. The supervising teacher re-entered the room, and the two boys returned to a natural position.

The teacher cleared his throat as he walked back to his desk, letting the door slam on its own. "I hope you two didn't do anything while I was gone," he told in his deep voice.

Both of them shook their heads, acting like well-mannered children.

"Well, in that case, I'll let you two slip out a bit early," said the teacher. "It's a Friday, after all."

"Really?" Ninten questioned. "No catch?"

"Nope, just sign out and go."

The two boys hurried to the clipboard by the door and eagerly signed their signatures on an attendance clipboard. Then, they rushed out of the room, and then out of the school.

They walked together on the sidewalk to their homes, which were conveniently on the same path that they take to school. It was just a silent walk in the warm wind, with occasional cars passing by them.

At the turning corner of their street, Ninten was able to step another step forward ahead of the other boy, so that their faces could meet.

"You were saying?" Ninten blurted.

Claus slowed his pace, "Huh?"

"You didn't answer me back in detention."

"Oh…uh…what was the question again?"

Ninten quivered his lips for a moment, thinking of how he should reword the question, just so he could get a clearer answer.

"You sure you don't wanna go out with me?" Ninten said, smiling.

"…No comment." Claus simply continued walking forward.

Ninten disappointingly watched the other boy avoid the question. He finally decided to let the discussion go for now, and just let things be for now.

He found his self successful in getting Claus to admit his feelings, but at the same time…

…he didn't feel too happy about it.


End file.
